


golden

by reshirama



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gen, M/M, Trans Character, Valla - Freeform, basically 'who the fuck was cadros and what the fuck was anankos like', fates is so vague i kinda just. shitted, me beating my fists on the ground: GIVE! ME! MORE! VALLA!, mythology shit, pregame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 22:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7732357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reshirama/pseuds/reshirama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Anankos, do you have any children?' There was a pause.<br/>'No. But I will do, one day.' The dragon's voice was almost too quiet to be heard.<br/>Cadros frowned. 'How do you know that?' The dragon rumbled.<br/>'I can see them. Their eyes are red and amber and they stare at me. I can see the golden sword, and the bright breath between their teeth.'</p>
<p>                                                           ------<br/>a story of ancient valla</p>
            </blockquote>





	golden

**Author's Note:**

> so cadros was mentioned in the heirs of fate dlc and i've never been more alive let me take the fates mythology and make it my own
> 
> for those who are wondering, lung is the dawn dragon, fafnir is the dusk dragon and kunmanggur is the rainbow sage. (they're all figures from world mythology, lung and fafnir from their respective lands, and kunmanggur an alternate name for the rainbow serpent from aboriginal mythology, who the rainbow sage is pretty well based off.)
> 
> this is super speculative and isn't based on anything beyond headcanons i'm sorry

The dragon lay. On his back, claw marks. On his wings, a trail of vines. Holes littered his side, and his deep amber eyes were drooped with fatigue. In his mouth, the pearl spun and twirled, eyes blinking and staring.  
' _Cadros...'_

'My friend, I am here.' Hurried footsteps, and a blue haired youth flung his arms around the dragon's nose with reckless abandon. 'What has happened?'

A heave, and the dragon affectionately nudged Cadros' head. He shook the vines out of his wings and sighed.  
_'_ _Kunmanggur_ _has made their move. My worst fear has been confirmed. The humans have entered our war.'_

Cadros bent his head, shoulders shaking slightly. 'What... what can this mean for us? Valla is neutral, Anankos. You know that.'

_'_ _Kunmanggur has crafted five weapons. Five, Cadros. Nohr and Hoshido have claimed four of them and one remains. You must take it, Cadros. You must.'_

A slight choke, and the man sat down, head in his hands. 'We have sworn never to go to war. We cannot-'

_'Cadros, please. The last blade is worth five other weapons. Valla must be the one to take it. You don't have to use it. You must not use it. You must take it because you are neutral.'_

'Anankos- Anankos. Fine, you are right. As ever. I will claim the last blade. Please- please alert the Rainbow Serpent that we will accept their blessing.' Cadros looked up. 'My friend, I do not like this. But I will trust you.'

Anankos rose once more, wings extended, and leapt upwards. 

'Anankos- wait!' The dragon did not listen. 'What are these weapons?'

_'Dragon slayers.'_ And then the dragon was gone, through the sky and into the distance.

 

۩

The rain fell. Anankos sat, head curled protectively around and wing extended over his side. Beneath it, a glimmer of gold. Cadros sat with one leg curled around a long, thin blade.

'What is so special about this sword? It does not possess much power. You said it was a dragon slayer, but it couldn't pierce your scales, no matter how hard I swung. Has the Rainbow Serpent lost their touch?'

A low rumble from the dragon. Cadros realised he was laughing. His wing shifted to better shelter from the rain.  _'I wouldn't say that in front of_ _Kunmanggur if you value your life, Cadros. They said it would be unlocked by the other weapons. I think they hoped Hoshido and Nohr would unite around it.'_

A laugh. 'Good thing it's here in Valla, then? Hoshido and Nohr have been squabbling for years. To have a champion in their land could tip the war in their favour completely. I understand now, my friend.' With a happy sigh, he huddled closer to the blade. 'Say, this blade is nameless?'

_'It is never going to be used. It does not need a name.'_ To Cadros, the dragon sounded a little perturbed and- was that amusement in there? He shook his head and laughed.

'Don't be a fool, Anankos. Every weapon needs a name.' He held it up to the light, smiling. 'It is made in the style of a Hoshidan katana, is it not?' His mind skipped to the smiling Hoshidan ambassador, his gentle, clipped tone and his amber eyes. 'I will call it the Yato.'

He heard Anankos' rumble of satisfaction.  _'A fine name, Cadros.'_ And then another rumble, this time, definite laughter.  _'But is that not the name of-'_

'Gods, Anankos, I know whose name it is!' Cadros' face turned bright red, and he leaned forward, spluttering and wheezing. 'He's never going to see the sword. He's never going to see me as more than a king of a neutral country. He's probably got a wife back in Hoshido. And even if he doesn't...' He leaned back against the dragon, who gave a comforting croon. 'Anankos, I've never been afraid of who I am. The people have accepted me. When I used to be a woman, when I was changing they... they had faith in me. My sister was always going to produce the heir. I would find a girl and it would all be alright. But how can... how can they deal with much more... deviance?' He put his head in his hands, felt his face heating up with shame.

_'Valla will accept you, no matter who you are and whom you love. You would not be king if they did not. Did you know that dragons do not have gender in the way humans do? Kunmanggur is not male or female or anything else. Lung and Fafnir are both male and female at once. If they will worship us but shun their ruler because he is different, then they are foolish.'_

'But you are male, are you not?' He turned to his friend, brow furrowed.

_'I can be anything I like. But now I am male because you are and you are my friend and I love you.'_ The eyes, gleaming amber in the rain, full of adoration, endless limitless adoration and devotion.  _'Court Yato. It will work out, Cadros, I promise. You must court Yato.'_

 

**۩**

Tears pricked Cadros' eyes as he stared out over the sea of waving, happy faces. Yato held his hand, gripping it tightly, and pecked his cheek. It was alright. It was alright. 

Overhead, a shade was cast by wide, speckled wings, and the crowd bowed, falling to their knees. 

Anankos swooped in, eyes spinning happily. 

_'I told you, I told you it would all work out!'_ he called, a happy croon deep in his throat. Cadros laughed, and felt Yato's shoulders shaking despite the mockingly disapproving shake of his head. 

'You always liked your dramatic entrances, old friend.' His voice was teasing, but his eyes were bright. 

The dragon hunkered down, tail carefully curled so not to knock the watching citizens, who were beginning to pick themselves up and watch with wide, awed eyes. He opened his massive paws, holding out something that glittered and shined with a deep blue, a few shades deeper than Cadros' hair. A pendant. He took it and placed it round his neck.  _'A wedding present. It reacts with the song we wrote. It keeps peace. Just as Valla should.'_ And then the dragon was gone, wings wide, spiralling upwards and the people cheered and called. He felt for the golden blade at his side with one hand, and found his husband's hand with the other, and squeezed it tight.

The cheering went on for a long, long stretch of time, and when they finally walked off the stage, Cadros almost collapsed into Yato's arms. 

'Hey, hey. Are you alright?' His husband pressed a kiss to the side of his head, and he shuddered.

'Just tired. And worried. Are you sure you don't mind that we didn't have a traditional Hoshidan wedding?'

Yato laughed. 'Is that really what you're thinking about? Gods, Cadros, my parents would think we were bringing shame on the family if we had anything remotely like a Hoshidan wedding.'

Cadros grabbed his arms, pulling himself upright. 'But does it matter to you? Do you want a Hoshidan wedding?'

Yato leaned in and kissed him deeply, before pulling away, eyes bright and wet. 'I became an ambassador because I wanted to get out of Hoshido. I married you because I love you. I love Valla, too, and, Cadros, it is my home now. I am fine. I am happy.'

**۩**

'One day, the Yato will be used to bring war.' Cadros stared over the balcony. 'That much is clear. There are days I regret taking it.'

_'Don't. You may be right, but can you imagine if Lung or Fafnir's humans had it in the war? It was right that we had it then.'_ Anankos' voice rumbled. He was stretched out below, overlooking the great lake. In the background, Eurydice played with Yato, their laughter a delightful sound to Cadros' ears. He could understand the furious protectiveness of parents, now that he had Eurydice, his daughter, who would one day be queen. 

'Anankos, do you have any children?' There was a pause.

_'No. But I will do, one day.'_ The dragon's voice was almost too quiet to be heard.

Cadros frowned. 'How do you know that?' The dragon rumbled.

_'I can see them. Their eyes are red and amber and they stare at me. I can see the golden sword, and the bright breath between their teeth.'_

'The golden sword? Your children will wield the Yato?' No answer. 'Anankos, when you told me to accept the Yato, you said it was a dragon slayer. Did you mean yourself?' Silence. 'Anankos, the song drains life. It can only be sung so many times. Is it to stop you from... from hurting us?' Yet again, Anankos remained silent. 'Please, my friend, I need to know.'

_'It will never happen in your lifetime.'_ And the dragon opened great grey wings and took off, across the lake. It was the only answer Cadros needed.

**۩**

'Take me to Anankos.' 

'Father, you're dying.' 

'Eurydice, please. I need to see him.' His hand grasped his daughter's with a tight grip, and he met her eyes, her deep amber eyes, so like Yato's, and noticed her long blue hair fall over her shoulders as she leaned forward with a sigh. His daughter, his wonderful daughter.

'You will be queen when I go, Eurydice. You must be careful. Now, do you remember the song I taught you? You must sing it to Anankos as I die. Here,' and he unhooked the pendant from around his neck and slipped it around her's. 'This pendant will give your song life, but it will take yours, so promise never to use it unless you absolutely must.'  
'I promise, father.' And now she was crying. 

'One more thing, my sweet.' He pulled the long golden blade from his side. 'Keep this sword. Make sure it never gets used on the battlefield. Its name is the Yato, and it will look after you so long as you look after it.' He pulled her in, and kissed her forehead. 'Now please, darling, take me to the balcony.' 

She looped her arm around his waist and he leaned on her. When they got there, he called, in the way he had been taught, in the voice of dragons, for his friend, his one and only friend. 

He heard the roar, the call.  _'Cadros!'_ The dragon landed clinging to the side of the balcony.  _'Cadros, please don't die! Don't leave me!'_

'I am old, Anankos. I am tired. It is time for me to go.' A hand reached up, and he cradled the dragon's head in his hands and kissed the nose of his oldest friend.

_'But I am not! Please, Cadros, please, don't leave me!'_ And Anankos tilted his head back and howled, pain and grief in his voice, and then anger, fury.

'Sing, Eurydice!' 

And she did. Her voice carried the song to the wailing dragon, water spinning around them, light shining off the golden sword at her side. The sounds of grief and anger calmed to a gentle whimper, and Cadros felt so tired, so, so tired, and he lay his head down, right down, and just closed his eyes to the sound of his daughter's voice.

**۩**

In the throne room, there is someone singing. Cadros has not heard that voice for a very long time, nor has he heard that song. He is but a leaf floating around this abandoned room, a sprite summoned by his once old friend to stare at, and remember when he was once sane. He is not like the others, the ones with bodies, with purpose. But he knows that he will die another time when Anankos is defeated. He does not mind. His friend is gone.

Is that... Eurydice? It cannot be; he looks harder, and he realises that it is another girl, still with blue hair and amber eyes, but her face is different, her body held in a different way, and the Yato is not at her side.

He sees the Yato glint in the hands of another girl across the room.  _The Yato must never be taken onto the battlefield._ The one rule he had imposed on himself and his daughter and he hoped on her children, all the way down the generations. 

But then he sees the red eyes and the pointed ears and the poise in which he stands, and he knows this is his good friend's child, and that the time has come for her to raise the Yato against her father for the good of the world.

He closes his eyes, waits for the end, and listens to his descendant's voice sing the song he wrote, oh, so long ago.

 


End file.
